


In the Starlight

by ami_ven



Series: Home on the Range (Wild West AU) [10]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Community: writerverse, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26040322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: “Now you’re just being cryptic on purpose.”
Relationships: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Series: Home on the Range (Wild West AU) [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/176060
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	In the Starlight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ community "writerverse" phase 22 challenge 27 prompts ‘cheese, bread & wine’ & “Counting Stars” (by One Republic)

“Are you sure this horse can even carry both of us?” Rodney asked, clambering awkwardly into the saddle.

“Easily,” said John, taking the two mysterious cloth-wrapped packages he’d brought from the spring house and stowing them in the saddlebags. “We’re not going far, and we won’t go too fast. No more complaining.”

Rodney kept quiet, not because he was particularly cooperative but more because John swung himself into the saddle behind him, arms around Rodney’s waist. The sun was sinking below the desert as they rode out toward a low mesa, and Rodney leaned back against John’s chest, watching the sky change color.

They rode uphill for a while, then John slowed Puddle Jumper to a walk. “This looks like a good spot,” he said, sliding from the saddle.

Rodney slid down beside him. “A good spot for _what_? There’s nothing here?”

“Exactly,” John said, and unfolded a worn saddle blanket onto a barest stretch of ground.

“Now you’re just being cryptic on purpose,” Rodney grumbled, but he settled next to John on the blanket.

“I’m being romantic,” the other man corrected. “We should eat before we lose the light.”

Rodney grinned. “Finally, something that makes sense.”

The cloth-wrapped packages from the spring house turned out to be a hunk of cheese and a bottle of wine, along with a loaf of thick-crusted bread. They passed all three between them, not bothering with unnecessary things like plates or glassed, until the food was gone and the sun had vanished behind the distant horizon.

John packed the empty cloths back into his saddlebag, then returned to the blanket and stretched out, arms crossed up and under his head. At his pointed look, Rodney moved to lay beside him, resting his head on John’s shoulder.

“All right, now what?” Rodney said.

“Just look,” said John.

Still frowning, Rodney rolled more fully onto his back – and froze.

The sky was still pinkish-purple at the edges where the sun had disappeared, but on the other side of the plain, it was inky dark and full of stars. His mathematical brain started to count them, but Rodney quickly gave up to simply marvel at the points of light.

“Oh…” he breathed, and felt John chuckle beside him.

“Yeah, it’s pretty impressive.”

“I can hardly even make out the constellations,” Rodney continued. “And, look, you can see the Milky Way – I never thought about why it was called that, but it _does_ look like milk.”

Rodney glanced sideways at John, only to find that the former-soldier was looking at _him_ , not at the stars. “What?”

“You look beautiful in the starlight,” John said.

“Shut up,” mumbled Rodney, but pulled him for a kiss.

THE END


End file.
